Brooklyn Star which has been on the Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats has a front dark, wooden bar and opens up into a bright dining hall in the main room. There are wooden communal tables and a few tables with chairs in between. The kitchen door has the state of Texas tattooed on and really I instantaneously felt like I was back in Charleston, South Carolina. The plates are large and in charge and everyone is ordering the Molasses Brined Pork Chop with the fried onion ring atop it. You can start with comfort foods such as biscuits, cornbread, mac ‘n cheese, fried pig tails, you name it.
Raw Kale Salad
Roasted 1/2 Chicken
The Kale salad is served with peanuts and golden raisins in a lemon vinaigrette dressing -keeping it light and fresh. I’ve never thought that peanuts in a salad is really necessary, but oddly, the combination with the raisins reminds me of a good ole’ peanut butter sandwich. Weird to compare a kale salad to a PB & J, but Brooklyn Star makes it work with the sweet and salty combination. I absolutely loved the roasted half chicken. It’s rich, juicy, tender, and the dirty rice beneath is filled with bites of chorizo. The broccolini soaks up the juices marinating on the plate, and the dish comes together as one. The chicken is anything but boring, and it’s a pretty large plate in case you want to share. We also had the Tile Fish which came with artichokes, mustard greens, potatoes and a tiny bit of mayo (don’t worry you wouldn’t know). It’s flaky and the only seafood dish on the menu. It’s really good even amongst the other meat and heavy comfort dishes it rivals.
Tile Fish
Brooklyn Star is the restaurant you want to come to when you want to just load up and go all out. The Chocolate Bread Pudding is a must order and a great send off to your bed for the evening. The wait on a Saturday night isn’t too bad for two- about 15- 20 minutes. It’s a casual hot spot with a peppy feeling. People really make themselves feel at home here and you definitely forget you are in New York City.